I do not own the rights to 9-1-1 or 9-1-1: Lone Star. Alexander Strand is my own character.

"Buck!"

Buck grinned and waved, watching Christopher's smile widen through the screen of his phone. Maddie and Athena joined the video chat not long after. They couldn't manage to get together but each was watching from their work. Buck's heart throbbed at the faces he was seeing. He missed his friends deeply but he did not regret his decision.

"Hey guys," he said with a smile. He glanced up before looking back down at his phone. "I'm here at the firehouse. About to go in."

"Do we get to know what firehouse yet?" Athena asked with a raised brow.

Buck let out a soft chuckle and nodded. "Austin one-twenty-six."

Maddie's head tilted, "I think I heard something about them, yeah. Wasn't the entire team decimated in an accident not long ago?"

"All but one man," Buck replied. "And the deputy fire chief asked the captain of Manhattan department two-fifty-two, sole survivor of his team after nine-eleven, to come rebuild the team. He brought his two sons."

Athena let out a hum, "Didn't I hear about a firefighter from Manhattan visiting the one-eighteen a few years ago?"

Buck smiled. "Yep. Alexander Strand. I'll see if I can find him…"

"I'm guessing he's your mystery friend?" Carla asked, getting a nod in return.

"Yeah. I have an interview with the captain," Buck said, "I'll call you guys again when it's over to really fill you in."

"Aw, I wanted to see the firehouse," Christopher sighed in disappointment.

"If everything goes like how I think it will, you'll get to see it soon," Buck replied with a grin. "I'll talk to you guys later."

After a quick round of goodbyes, Buck climbed out of his jeep and closed the door, nervously sticking his hands in his pockets as he walked inside the open garage door of the firehouse. A quiet 'wow' passed his lips as he looked around, the modern look of the building giving off a calm, homely aura that Buck instantly loved.

"Hey, new recruit?"

Buck looked over at the call to see a man not much younger than himself walking over with three others behind him, two men and a woman, all looking curious. Buck instantly recognized the woman as Fire Fox and he bit his tongue to keep from bursting out with that knowledge.

"Uh yeah," Buck replied with a nervous smile. "Evan Buckley, just arrived in Austin from LA."

"Hollywood, nice," the same man said. He gave Buck a welcoming grin and offered his hand to shake, "Mateo Chavez." He gestured to the others, "This is Paul Strickland, Marjan Marwani and Judson Ryder."

"Call me that again and I'll pummel you," the man threatened. Buck could instantly hear his accent and he guessed this was the firefighter who survived the accident; Alex had mentioned the man's accent. "It's Judd, I hear Judson once outta your mouth and I'll kick your ass, Hollywood."

Buck swallowed and nodded. "Yes sir. I'm uh… I'm looking for Strand."

"Well then you have three options." Buck turned at the voice from behind him to see three more firefighters, two whom he instantly recognized though both were using a hand to cover the name tag stitched into the right breast of their uniforms. Owen Strand grinned and playfully continued, "Do you want the Captain or one of my two twins, if you can tell which is which."

A soft chuckle passed Buck's lips and he could hear the others behind him laughing good-naturedly as well. Neither twin gave any obvious indication of who was who yet Buck could tell by their smirks.

He pointed to the twin on his left, "Alexander. He tends to raise the right side of his lips in a one-sided smirk while TK does the left."

"Wait, I do?" Alexander frowned, dropping his hand from covering his name tag to reveal 'A. Strand.'

TK frowned as well, his own name tag showing 'T. Strand.' He experimentally gave a one-sided smirk and muttered a soft curse to himself as he realized it was true.

Owen chuckled, "Yeah, you do. That's pretty observant, Mr. Buckley. Or would you prefer Evan?"

"Uh, Buck, actually." Buck smiled hesitantly, not completely sure about still using the nickname. "There were two other Evans in my academy class, I'm used to Buck."

"This is the Buck Alex's is always going on about?" Marjan asked, now looking the man up and down. "I gotta say, he's just like I pictured."

"Is… is that a good thing?" Buck questioned.

It's Paul who answered, "Well, Alex will ramble on about your conversations, your personality, your appearance. We've heard a lot about you and it all seems accurate so far. Nothing personal, mostly related to your calls, things you told Alex it was alright to share."

Buck glanced at the sheepish-looking Alexander, a smile working its way onto his lips. "So… Earthquake?"

"Yes," Paul replied. "That must've been quite the job."

Judd cut in, "But my favourite's still the one you did while high on LSD."

He chuckled and Buck's eyes widened before he grimaced. "That wasn't my fault and it was not one of my best moments. Though Chimney said that looking back, it was hilarious."

"Chimney?" Mateo asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Buck's smile faded and became melancholy, "Yeah… That nickname has a long story that I don't feel like telling."

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Buck looked over to see another uniformed woman walking over. She was followed by a woman and a man, her team guessing by the way they followed her and she seemed to have an aura of authority.

"Michelle," Owen greeted, "I was just about to take Buck here for a formality interview. Buck, this is paramedic captain Michelle Blake and her team, Nancy Gillian and Tim Rosewater."

Michelle offered her hand for Buck to shake, "It's nice to finally meet you. Alexander—"

"Likes to talk about me?" Buck guessed, getting a light chuckle and a nod.

Alexander pouted at that but he couldn't deny it. The team shared a laugh as Alexander decided to hide behind his twin and pretend no one else was there. Chuckling at his brother's antics, TK indulged in this and reached up to cup Alexander's cheek and guide Alexander's head to rest on his shoulder.

Owen smiled at his sons and looked to Buck, "Ready to get this over with?"

"Uh, yeah," Buck replied nervously. He didn't quite understand why he was so nervous but he was. "Yeah, let's go."

As Buck followed Owen away, he heard TK asking, "Hey, did you notice the smirk thing?"

He heard Paul reply, "Yep. Within the first half-hour of knowing you two."

Owen chuckled at that and explained, "Paul has a gift for threat assessment."

"Oh wow," Buck mused. A smile worked its way onto his lips as he was led past the kitchen. It was a beautiful place, sleek and modern. "So he's really observant?"

"And can make connections between those observations and possible threats."

Buck nodded in understanding. If he was being honest, he really liked it in the firehouse and it was already starting to feel like home. He tried not to get his hopes up as he technically wasn't hired yet but it was hard not to. He'd barely met the team yet it felt like home.

Owen led the way to his office. Looking out the glass window into the rig bay, Buck could see the others were working on cleaning the trucks and it looked like Alexander was answering questions from the others.

"Here, sit down." Owen gestured to one of the two chairs on the other side of his desk, then to a small rock-like object displayed on said desk, "No, it's not a meteorite. It's a bit of rubble from the South Tower, a reminder."

Buck laughed softly and sat down, "You get asked about it a lot?"

"Only every time someone new sees it," the captain replied with a smile. He sat down at his desk and rested his chin on his clasped hands. "I'll tell you right now I want you on the one-twenty-six. You've got the skill and experience, and you're good at working with people in emergencies. Your resume is impressive and I got a good word from the LA deputy fire chief when I contacted them yesterday. If you feel up to it and I think you're ready, you can start tomorrow or even today."

Buck's eyes widened at that. "So soon?"

"If I think you're ready," Owen repeated. "Alex implied you didn't leave Los Angeles on good terms. I want to be sure you're at prime mentality before I let you out in the field."

A soft sigh passed Buck's lips at that but it made sense. "You want to ask questions?"

Owen nodded. "I heard about getting your foot crushed by a ladder truck and about the pulmonary embolism. That couldn't have been easy to deal with."

"It wasn't," Buck confirmed with a grimace. "It took a lot of work to be able to go back to work."

"And the tsunami I heard about in the news?"

"I was still off when that hit." Buck looked down but continued almost robotically, "I was at the pier with a young friend when it hit. I thought I lost him…"

"Did you?" Owen pressed lightly.

"I did but he was found by someone else. A kind woman who brought him to the emergency shelter I ended up at. I don't think I've ever felt as relieved as I did then… Telling your best friend and coworker that you lost his son…"

Owen said nothing to that. He couldn't begin to imagine the guilt and the initiative it would take to do as Buck described. He still hadn't told his sons or his teammates besides Judd about the cancer. The man in front of him had the strength to admit he lost someone important to both him and his best friend to that best friend.

A soft, dry huff from Buck drew the fire captain from his thoughts. "That best friend later said I need to stop being exhausting to others and to learn to suck it up like everyone else. He turned on me." Buck didn't know where the tears came from but suddenly, they were falling down his cheeks. He couldn't stop them or the pain from spilling past his lips. "They all turned on me. I just wanted to get back to working with them, I was being unfairly held back from that, and I just wanted to be allowed back."

"What happened?" Owen asked gently, rising from his desk to sit in the seat next to Buck.

"I found out that it was my captain and not the department keeping me from coming back after I completed everything I needed to." Buck sniffled, his throat stinging but he continued, "It wasn't fair since Chimney was allowed back after only a month from getting a piece of rebar through his skull and later from being stabbed in the stomach. Hell, Eddie, he was that best friend I mentioned, said something about needing bailed out of jail and he was still working.

"The captain, Bobby, held me back and I don't know why. I… I filed a lawsuit to sue the department and the city. I didn't want money—they offered fourteen million—I wanted back with my team. And I saw, they replaced me with a woman, um, Lena Bosko. She's capable and she's good at the job, it just hurt that they did it even if it was only temporary."

"I can imagine," Owen whispered.

Buck glanced up for a second before returning his gaze to his hands in his lap. "I won the lawsuit. I was allowed back. My team didn't want me back though. I know I hurt them with what I revealed to my lawyer but they really hurt me back. I… I was left behind on almost all the calls and Bobby had me doing all the chores the team usually did together. If it wasn't snide comments from everyone, it was side glares or whispered insults.

"Then there was the final nail… It was an apartment fire, Cap said they needed as many hands as they could get. I went in with him and Eddie to rescue a family trapped inside. I was almost out when part of the ceiling collapsed on me and I was trapped. The young boy I was carrying was able to run outside and ask for help and I tried radioing in but no one came. They left me to die."

A long silence hung in the air after that. The bad bruises on Buck's back felt like they were burning and for a moment, he was back in the burning lobby of that apartment building. He was pinned down and no one was coming to help him. Then Buck was back in the captain's office, Owen's arms around him and hugging him tightly, being careful of the bruises Owen suspected were there. Buck's breath caught in his throat at the feeling; it had been so long since someone had hugged him. He felt warm, inside and out.

Another wave of tears assaulted him and a small sob passed his lips. Buck stopped trying to hold it back and just let himself cry for the first time since that apartment fire. All the pain he'd tried to keep inside came tumbling out in a flurry of cries. Buck barely registered when Owen released him and Alexander took his place. He barely noticed the other firefighters worriedly appearing in the doorway.

Owen moved to usher the team away from the office and to the living space nearby. "Come on guys, let's give him some privacy. Michelle?"

"Yes?" she replied, glancing past him to his office in concern. "Does he need medical treatment?"

"That's what I assume," Owen replied. "Buck says a ceiling fell on him and pinned him in a burning building. He seems fine and he didn't mention any injuries but Alex also said he left LA as soon as possible, he may not have gone to a hospital."

Michelle nodded. "I'll check him once I can. He seems like a good kid."

"He is," TK interjected. "His team in Los Angeles hurt him pretty badly but he never seemed really angry with them over it in the video calls Alex has had with him. I heard from him that he's been alone otherwise though, his only friends were his teammates, his sister and police sergeant who are both in a relationship with two of his teammates."

Judd let out a low whistle at that, "Then we gotta give this guy a team. New town, new team, new everything."

Owen nodded in agreement, "We do. We show him that he's welcome here and that he's valued. From what he said, it sounds like his team made him feel pretty worthless as anything but a firehouse maid."

A few jaws dropped at that before anger sparked in their eyes. It wasn't hard to tell that the firefighters of the 126 would not let Buck feel left out, not one bit.

"Dad!"

Owen looked towards his office at the shout and jogged over when he saw Alexander waving him closer. Buck's tears had slowed and he sat silently, staring dejectedly at his hands. Alexander returned to kneeling next to him while Owen took his place at his desk again.

"I guess I'm probably going to therapy before starting here?" Buck guessed with an empty smile, playing lightly with Alexander's fingers in his grasp.

"Therapy, yes," Owen replied. "But I'll still let you start today or tomorrow. You'll be allowed on calls but I just don't want you in the thick of the fire. Helping medical or calming civilians, sure, but not charging into emergencies just yet. I want you to be able trust the team and yourself before I allow you to go running into a burning building or something."

Buck looked up in surprise at that. "Really?"

Owen nodded. "What I see, Evan, is a firefighter in need of a team, a family. Your last team broke your trust, I can see that, and I know you're aware of how essential trust is in this line of work."

"I won't sue the department," Buck burst out, "I promise, you won't have to worry about—"

"I'm not worried about that," Owen cut him off, holding a hand up. "I know it won't happen."

"You… You do?"

A small smile grew on the captain's lips. "I do. You wanna know how I know?" Wordlessly, Buck nodded and Owen continued, "You won't ever be held back when you're ready to come back. It's hard to put those you care about literally in the line of fire, I assume that's what your old captain's issue was, but I won't have that problem."

Buck's brows furrowed in confusion, "Why not?"

"I already allowed both of my sons into this line of work," Owen replied, glancing at Alexander. "It's hard, but I know how to let those I love do what they love, even if it sometimes kills me inside."

Alexander smiled, "Aw, love you too, Dad."

Owen rolled his eyes but smiled. He stood up once again, Buck and Alexander doing the same.

"One last thing," Owen said as he led the two to the living space where the others were still waiting. "Buck, I want Michelle to give you a quick once-over since I assume you didn't go to a hospital."

Buck sighed but nodded. "Alright. I promised I'd video call some friends back in LA once the interview was over."

"I don't think anyone would mind meeting them," Owen replied with a smile.

A smile spread on Buck's lips at that. He quickly called Maddie, Athena and Carla before Michelle ushered him to sit on the couch. It didn't take long for the three women to pick up.

"How'd it go?" was Maddie's first question.

"Just fine," Buck replied. He flipped the camera to show the surrounding firefighters, "This is the one-twenty-six. Firefighters Judd, Paul, Mateo, TK, Marjan and Alexander, Captain Owen Strand, and the amazing paramedic team, Michelle—can I call you Michelle?—Nancy and Tim."

"You haven't seen us in action yet," Nancy said with an amused smile, "How can you call us amazing already?"

"I'm about to see your captain in action," Buck replied with a grin. "But I can just tell."

Buck handed his phone to Alexander so he could pull his shirt over his head as Michelle instructed.

Alexander turned the camera back to show himself and smiled, "Buck's told me a lot about you all."

"Hey, not fair!" Mateo chided, coming to stand behind Alexander so he could see the phone screen.

The others did the same so Alexander held his arm out so everyone could see. Maddie smiled seeing them: she could already see that her brother would be in good company with them. Christopher waved excitedly, getting a group of waves in return.

"Mateo," Athena started with a raised brow, "You wouldn't happen to know a Marvin Chavez here in Los Angeles, would you? Arrested for carjacking and fleeing from police."

Mateo's face lit up, "You know him? We're cousins, people say we look alike."

"I arrested him," Athena replied.

"Oh… That's kinda funny. You know, you arresting him and now this."

"Oh god…"

All attention was drawn to Michelle and Buck at Nancy's gasp. A few more soft gasps came from the team as they saw the rainbow of bruises across the man's back. With a warning to Christopher, Alexander pressed the button to flip the camera again. A small whimper of horror passed Maddie's lips as she saw the state her brother was in. Athena's gaze darkened in both concern and anger while Carla covered her mouth.

"You drove from Los Angeles to Austin and never got this looked at?" Tim asked.

Buck winced at the disbelief in his voice. "I wanted to get here as quickly as possible and figured it would heal on its own."

"It will," Michelle said, "But damage like this could be concealing something more serious. Have you had any other pain since the accident?"

"Uh, I'll get pain in my calf or thigh and sometimes this shooting pain in my leg if I cough or sneeze," Buck admitted, avoiding her eyes.

"Any numbness or muscle weakness?" Michelle asked, gently examining the younger man's lower spine.

Buck thought for a few seconds before giving a slow nod. "In my left leg, it was the one pinned under rubble. I thought it was just from that."

"Hours later?" Buck nodded again and Michelle hummed, "It might be a herniated disk in your spine."

"I thought impact doesn't cause slipped disks," Nancy questioned in confusion.

"Rarely but it can happen," Michelle replied. "You'd need an MRI scan to be sure but we can treat it as one anyway. Since you can move around without a lot of pain, start with gentle exercise. Nothing too heavy that could pull or twist your spine while it heals. Just gradually increase your activity level. Herniated disk or not, it'll help you heal."

Buck sighed and pulled his shirt back on, "I guess I'm not allowed on calls then?"

"You should be fine as long as you don't do anything too strenuous," Michelle said. "I heard you'll be taking it easy anyway so you should be alright. Any bad pain and you take a break though, got it?"

Buck nodded and noticed the frown on Alexander's lips, "What is it?"

Alexander scowled slightly and showed Buck the screen of Buck's phone, a picture of the bruises on his back. "Would you let me send these to your old team?"

"What?" Buck's mouth grew dry at that.

"They didn't help at all," Alexander said stonily. "I just think they should get to see the damage."

Judd raised a hand, "I have to agree there. A team is supposed to be there for each other."

"The one-eighteen isn't bad people," Buck was quick to defend his former team. "They're amazing and kind and just like firefighters should be. They just… made a mistake."

"A mistake is leaving the roast in the oven too long," Alexander said with a scowl. "Taking advantage of a teammate is not a mistake."

"Alex, don't judge them before you've actually met them," Owen cut in, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "You've heard a lot about them, wait until you actually meet them, if you ever do, to judge."

Buck frowned, "Hang on, Alex did meet them when he met me on that vacation to LA."

"Oh, vacation?" Owen turned to frown at Alexander now. "Is that what you told him?"

Alexander looked away at that with a scowl. Buck looked between them in confusion. The rest of the team looked just as confused while TK looked rather disappointed like Owen did.

"Cap, what is it?" Paul asked after a long moment.

Owen let out a long sigh, "It wasn't a vacation that Alex went on. It was running away in the middle of the night and leaving only a note."

"I needed time to think," Alexander protested.

"And that's why you have your long walks," Owen replied. "Those, I'm fine with. Running from Manhattan to Los Angeles with no warning, I'm not alright with, especially on your own after what happened."

"Dad," Alexander muttered, a silent plea to not reveal any more to the watching team. He looked back to Buck, "Will you let me send the photo or not?"

"They kind of deserve it," Maddie spoke up. "They're already guilty but this would really drive it home."

Buck was silent for a long moment. He admitted to himself that while he didn't want to hurt his team, he did want them to see how badly they'd hurt him. There was a small voice in his mind wanting to make his team guilty and for them to know they screwed up. The 118 was full of good people but Buck knew there was another side to those same good people.

Buck swallowed thickly and nodded. "Alright. Send the photo."

I'm not a doctor or medically knowledgeable at all. Everything written follows what I found online, I'm sorry if it's inaccurate.